Golf is a game that is enjoyed by millions of people around the world. Since each course must accommodate a large number of people, common courtesy and proper golf etiquette dictate that each golfer take steps to maintain the course in proper playing condition. For example, ball marks left when a ball strikes a green should be repaired so that the ball mark does not interfere with subsequent play.
In addition to the foregoing, a ball on a green that is in the lie of another player's ball should be marked and removed from the green so that a clear approach to the hole is provided.
Further, since golf is an outdoor game, mud and debris tend to accumulate on the golfer's shoes and clubs, thereby potentially adversely affecting the golfer's game.
Various tools and equipment have been designed to assist the golfer during play. For example, Hedu U.S. Design Pat. No. 215,668 discloses a golfer combination tool including a forked end for repairing ball marks and a head end into which a V-shaped notch is cut. Projections are formed at ends of the notch and are adapted to engage opposing holes in a collar of a golf shoe cleat. The tool may thus also be used to replace such cleats.
Doble U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,388 discloses a golfing device comprising a main body having a forked end for repairing ball marks and a magnet which retains a ball marker on the body.
Patents similar to Doble disclosing means for mounting a ball marker on a forked ball mark repair tool include Hatch U.S. Pat. No. 3,620,426, Hatch U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,157, Stainer U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,749, Doubt U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,928, Hammond U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,878, Buckman U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,624, Buckman U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,774 and Dikoff U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,987.
Voss U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,515 discloses a combination pocket golf tool including a plurality of cleaning elements carried by a body wherein the distance between adjacent cleaning elements is substantially equal to the distance between adjacent grooves on an associated golf club face. The tool further includes a fork disposed on the end of a flat body that carries the cleaning elements. As noted in column 3, lines 7-11, the fork could be utilized to clean the cleats of golf shoes.
Chamberlain U.S. Pat. No. 191,498 discloses a combined scraper and brush for golf accessories including an elongate body having a tapered scraper at one end thereof and a series of bristles adjacent the scraper.
Schwartz U.S. Pat. No. 2,857,608 discloses a cleaning device for a golf club including a shank on which a blade is carried and a brush intermediate ends of the shank.
Burns et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,132 discloses a utility golf tool including a case, a ball mark repair tool in the form of a blade having a forked end and a series of brush bristles mounted on a spine wherein the spine and the blade are pivotally mounted within the case similar to a pocket knife.
While the golf tools disclosed in the foregoing patents may be effective to assist a golfer during play, it has been found that their usefulness is somewhat limited due to the failure to provide much-needed features in a compact device which can easily be carried by a golfer during play.
In addition to the foregoing patents disclosing golf tools, Battaglia U.S. Design Pat. No. 290,065 discloses a hair grooming device wherein a hair brush is disposed on a first end of a body and a series of picks are disposed on a second end of the body.